All-in-One Power Solutions for FTTH & 5G Telecom Infrastructure

Context

FTTH?

Home fiber (FTTH) involves using the optical fiber from a central point directly to individual buildings such as homes, apartments and businesses to provide, among other things, very high-speed internet connection (up to 100 megabits per second). The central point, called Fiber Optic Node shelter, is where operators can manage its subscribers’ accesses located upstream of the shared access points (SAP cabinets). These shelters have a space dedicated to the energy supply of equipment inside the shelter and that’s where Alpha Innovations comes in.

Challenges & Requirements

Today, everyone expects to have a very high-speed internet connection at home. To do so, telecom operators can use Fiber to the Home (FTTH) network that needs to be operational 7/7. With its all-in-one solution, Alpha Innovations helps them to meet this requirement.

Deploying a FTTH network is a long-term investment and a key challenge for 5G applications. Therefore, our customer was looking for an all-in-one power solution that is scalable, easy to implement, flexible and compact to manage a nationwide telecom network. The challenge was to combine the development of a future proof access infrastructure with the integration of legacy networks initially built with various suppliers.

The Network development also includes the rehabilitation of existing networks and the activation of certain points of shared access in activated optical connection node. The space is a crucial issue when power supplies and batteries need to be added in existing street cabinets.

We have designed specific 12kW cabinets with rectifiers, inverters, monitoring and batteries located in each Fiber Optic Node shelter.

Alpha Innovations' solution

Inverters & Rectifiers

The system encompasses locations for four hot-pluggable rectifiers and four hot-pluggable inverters. The inverters are converting 48 Vdc power source into a pure 230 Vac sine wave while the rectifiers convert 230Vac into 48Vdc. Compact and scalable, both rectifiers and inverters provide high level of efficiency (up to 96%) which results in a reduction of energy loss and heat dissipation.

Batteries

We work with different suppliers and battery chemistries. In this system, 2 battery strings of 180 or 190 Ah lead acid batteries are included.

Monitoring

The system is equipped with an embedded monitoring unit. Offering multiple possibilities beyond the simple management and recovery alarms, Alpha’s Universal Compas Controller (UCC) is a valuable tool to control sites and networks. The integration of the CTM of the shelter in the energy cabinet via the UCC helps with savings in space and costs, as one single controller can handle all required functions (such as battery management or remote control via TCP/IP). To go even further, our software solution, Inview MESH, enables to monitor and control multiple sites. With this advanced centralized knowledge of the health of your network, you can better plan interventions and do preventive maintenance.

Results

Our customer trusted us for many years now and the solution has evolved with his needs. Today, we are able to help reaching the European Commission objectives in their broadband strategy which are:

Access to 1 Gbps for all schools, transport hubs and main providers of public services and digitally intensive enterprises
Access to download speeds of at least 100 Mbps to be upgraded to 1 Gbps for all European households
Uninterrupted 5G wireless broadband coverage for all urban areas and major roads and railways.